The train snaked down the tracks, following the path that weaved through the winding trees of the forest. From inside one of the carriages, Alphonse Elric watched the trees rush by as he waited for his older brother, Edward, to draw one of the cards from his hand.
"Al! Earth to Al!" Ed shouted a moment later, waving his left hand in front of Al's helmet, trying to snap Al out of his trance.
Al pulled back to reality and tried to remember what they were doing again as he looked down at the cards. "Sorry, Brother," Al said offhandedly, shuffling around his cards while trying to remember which ones he had been aiming.
"It's fine," he replied and tossed his hand of cards onto the tray table in front of them, finally giving up on the game they'd both gotten tired of long before. Sinking down into the bench, Ed stretched his legs out in front of him, crossing them at the ankles and yawning before folding his arms behind his head and looking lazily up at Al.
"Tired?" the suit of armor asked, picking up the discarded cards and shoving them back into their box, ready to be used next time they found themselves on a train ride with nothing to do (which was really quite often).
"Not really. Or not exhausted anyway."
Lucky for them, the last mission had been easy. They had gone down south looking for some alchemist who had been terrorizing the townspeople for sport. Ed and Al had arrived in town expecting some super powerful alchemist— complete with the villainous look that belonged solely to the special kind of asshole who would find joy in terrorizing people for no reason whatsoever— according to all that the townspeople had told the pair about him. However, when they had found where the alchemist was hiding, they found him to be just some skinny, acne-ridden twenty-year-old who was so easily apprehended that the scuffle that had taken place between him and the brothers could be called hardly be called a fight. His alchemy was amateurish at best.
The mission had been one of the more boring ones of late, just a routine mission that Colonel Mustang needed done and had given the responsibility to the brothers in an attempt to make their life an even bigger hell (that was Ed's theory anyway.) The most interesting part of the whole thing had been the instant recognition the people seemed to show when Ed stated that he was the Fullmetal Alchemist. Suddenly, everyone turned to him, asking him about one story they'd heard about the Hero of the People or another. Everyone in the town seemed to know the title, hearing of his heroic deeds over the radio news that played or from the Sunday paper.
"He's shorter than I imagined him to be," one woman said and Al had to hold his brother back as he tried to attack the woman for bringing up his diminutive stature. Another woman offered up her spare bedroom in her house if he needed a place to stay the night and another man, who was the owner of the general store there in town, told Ed that if he needed anything all he had to do was stop by.
It was nice, no rowdy townspeople to deal with who either opposed the State Alchemists or had a hard time believing that a kid so young could actually work for the state. It was also one of the first times Al hadn't accidentally been mistaken as the Fullmetal Alchemist.
Ed was really making a name for himself, word of all the good the Fullmetal Alchemist had done igniting the country and spreading like wildfire throughout. It was one of the best things that had come out of their quest for the Philosopher's Stone.
Al was snapped back into reality as he heard the whistle blow and the train pulled into the station. They were currently stopping in a town called Orcus on the way back to Central City from the south. Mustang had promised them that if they did a mandatory inspection on the water system in Orcus, he would have a very promising lead for them when they got back to Central— and there was no way they were going to miss out on a potential lead on the Philosopher's Stone.
Grabbing the suitcase in his large gauntlets, Al followed Ed, exiting the train onto the little station platform. At that moment Ed's stomach started to growl and Al laughed at the little noise. "Come on, Brother. Let's go check into the hotel and then we can go find you something to eat."
The town was quaint and the setting sun cast it in a gentle, golden light. Al watched as Ed drew his red coat around his shoulders tighter as the chill of the autumn breeze blew through.
It wasn't far from the station that Al saw the sign for the hotel and they began to briskly head towards it.
The hotel was pretty small, at least it looked so on the outside, but it also appeared as if it was well maintained and Al was glad for that. It was quite often that when they came through small towns such as Orcus that the hotels and establishments there were old and run down and it always put Ed in a bad mood. He did not take as well to lumpy mattresses and overcooked food as people always assumed he did, traveling constantly and all.
"You've got to be kidding me," Ed suddenly said, picking up his pace and jogging over to the hotel. Curiously, Al quickening his pace too, lugging the suitcase along with him and following his brother up the steps to the front of the hotel. Posted on the entrance was a note: Hotel closed due to maintenance.
"Great, absolutely great," Ed sighed, putting a hand to his forehead and sinking down onto the top step.
"How were you able to read that sign from way back there?" Al asked incredulously, wondering if his brother had some kind of laser sharp vision that he was only just now becoming aware of.
"I didn't, but I saw all the lights were off and I just knew. Shit. Where are we going to stay now? This town's so small, there's no way they have a second hotel! They probably don't get any tourist so why bother?"
"We could always ask someone, Brother."
It was at that moment that a family passed by in front of the establishment, a couple and their three young daughters, the man looking up at Ed and Al sitting on the top step.
"The hotel's closed" he called to them.
Al swore he heard Ed mumble a 'we realized that, asshole,' but it would have been too quiet for the man below to hear.
The man smiled, however, and continued, "if you boys need a place to stay we have an extra bedroom that you two can use."
"Really, mister? That would be great, thank you!" Al answered and bounded down the steps towards the family before Ed could object.
"It would be no trouble at all. I'm Darius by the way, and this is my wife Shannon." He gestured to his wife and she smiled at the boys, "and our three daughters Vera, Isa, and Jill." The three young girls beside him each gave a wave as their name was called out and Al waved back to them.
"So, what brings the two of you to Orcus? We don't get many out-of-towners 'round here," Shannon said, trying to make conversation with the two strangers-turned-houseguest.
"Just some routine State Alchemist business," Al replied nonchalantly, but the faces the family made was anything but nonchalant.
"State Alchemists!" The youngest daughter, Vera, if Al remembered correctly, exclaimed. "You mean like the Fullmetal Alchemists?"
The pluralization of the word 'alchemist' was not missed by Al, but it was so minimal that he automatically ignored it. It was at that moment Ed decided to join in on the conversation.
"Not just like the Fullmetal Alchemist, I am the Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric," Ed stated, puffing out his chest like a dignified prized hen.
Darius stared at him completely flabbergasted for another moment before exclaiming, "no way, that's incredible!"
Even more excited were the three young girls who all looked at each other wide-eyed as if Solstice had come early. "That's so cool!" Isa exclaimed, grabbing one of her sister's hands and bouncing around in excitement.
"And the other Fullmetal Alchemist, what's his name?" Darius asked after giving up hope on his attempt to calm his delighted daughters.
"The other Fullmetal Alchemist?" Ed challenged, clear confusion contorting every one of his features.
"Well, yeah, the other Fullmetal Alchemist," said Darius, gesturing to Al as if it was clear as day that that's who he had been referring to as 'the other Fullmetal Alchemist'. "You saved the next town over from a group of bandits that had been terrorizing them a year back and their praise of the Fullmetal Alchemists and rumors of you two have spread throughout the surrounding area like wildfire. We'd always heard that the Fullmetal Alchemist was a State Title shared by two brothers serving under one name and that together the both of them are the Fullmetal Alchemist. Was that incorrect?"
"No, of course not, you're completely right," Ed replied, not missing a single beat, but his voice wasn't filled with irritation as Al had expected it to be at the mix-up. He almost sounded hopeful, as if the little misunderstanding had been the best thing he had heard all day. "This is my brother, Alphonse Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist."
The three girls squealed at the sound of that and their parents just smiled at them. "Well, what do you know. You offer up your spare bedroom to two strangers and they end up being the Fullmetal Alchemists," Darius said, more to himself than anyone. He took Al's large gauntlet, not hesitating a moment despite Al's fierce appearance, and shaking before reaching out to do the same with Ed. "It's a pleasure to meet the two of you."
.oO0Oo.
There was no need for them to go out and find a restaurant for dinner that night. Shannon cooked a delicious looking pot roast and Ed and Al joined the family for dinner, much to Vera, Isa, and Jill's excitement, who all seemed to be pretty head over heels for Edward and Alphonse Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemists, Heroes of the People.
When dinner was over, both Elrics thanked the family once more for their hospitality before retiring to their room for the night.
Luckily, there were two beds in the room and Ed laid down on the one closest to the window and Al took the other, laying down too just in case Shannon or Darius decided to check on them during the night like their occasional hosts sometimes did.
The room was quiet for a while, only Ed's breathing and the sounds of the branches outside their window blowing in the breeze, breaking that stillness. The light of the full moon glinted off Al's polished armor like a beacon and he turned his head, facing his brother in the bed beside him. Somehow— maybe it was just the creak of metal on metal that always came from Al when he moved or simply just a brother's intuition— Ed turned over to look at Al the same exact moment.
"Brother?" Al asked, his voice slightly hesitant as if he was nervous though it was only just the two of them in the spare bedroom.
"Yeah, Al," Ed returned, still wide awake despite the late hour.
"Why did you lie to those people this afternoon when they asked about us?" Al implored, his voice quiet in the accusation.
"What are you talking about, I didn't lie to anyone."
"Yeah you did, you told those kind people that we shared the title, that we were both the Fullmetal Alchemist, but I'm not. You're the one who's the Fullmetal Alchemist and I'm just your little brother."
Ed began to laugh, a hearty sounding laugh, but it confused Al anyway and he sat up in bafflement as if madness itself had consumed his big brother. "What's so funny?" he demanded, trying to be clued in on the joke that he must have somehow been overlooking.
"Sorry, sorry," Ed apologized, waving a hand and trying to stop his laughter and calm his breathing. "It's just, it never dawned on me until what they said that they're right, we're both the Fullmetal Alchemist."
Al made a protesting noise but Ed continued.
"I mean sure, I'm the one with the official title of 'Fullmetal', but it's always been the two of us all along. Any achievements that belong to the Fullmetal Alchemist are achievements of us both. I couldn't have done any of the things that I've been credited with if it wasn't for you, Al. You're smart and brave and the best alchemist I know, so the Fullmetal Alchemist can't just be me when it's been the both of us all along. We're a team, Al, just as we've always been."
"Oh" was all Al said, slowly processing the words his brother just said and letting Ed's praise settle upon him. It warmed his heart to hear them— or whatever metaphorical heart he may have had. Maybe Ed was right, maybe the Fullmetal Alchemist had been the both of them all along, two brothers working side by side for the people, and Al inwardly smiled at the thought.
Maybe this little misunderstanding hadn't been a misunderstanding at all, but a revelation to some deeper truth. Or maybe not, but it had made Alphonse happy anyway, and the warm feeling that came with it was enough.